Golf club



P. E. HELLER April 3, 1934.

GOLF CLUB Filed Sept. 22, 1951 INVENTOR R404 15 AQ-zM-v? ,t. 6 A,

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 3, 1934- nnrrao s'mrss PATENT @FFICE This invention relates to golf club construction and has for its object to produce an improved structure of the type employing a tubular metal or steel shaft and is designed to provide a simple and effective interlocking engagement between the shaft and head 01' hozel portion of the club for locking of the parts in assembled relation without requirement of supplemental securing parts.

My present improvements may desirably be embodied in the general type of structure disclosed in my prior Patent Reissue No. 16,808 wherein a rubber sleeve is interposed between the head member and the lower end portion of the shaft. This rubber sleeve, vulcanized in position,

has proven to be a desirable securing means, likewise contributing a desirable resiliency and particularly a torsional resiliency, not otherwise present in the usual type of steel shaft club. The present improvements add thereto a positive coupling of the parts without interference with the desired torsional resiliency aforesaid and so as to insure against longitudinal displacement or separation of the head and shaft under the action of the repeated torsional stresses.

The described and other important features of the present improvements will be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawing wherein like reference characters are applied to the corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view partially in vertical section showing my present improvements embodied in an iron type of golf club.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of my improvements as applied to a wooden headed type of club construction.

Fig. 3 is a corresponding view of a desirable modification embodied in a wood head club struc- 40 ture.

Fig. 4 is a partial vertical, sectional view showing a further modification; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical, sectional view of the end of the shaft of modified form.

In the drawing, wherein there is shown an approved embodiment of the features of my invention, 1 indicates the usual tubular metal shaft of tapered form having the club head 2 mounted upon the reduced lower end portion of the shaft. 59 The head as shown in Fig. l is of the usual iron type, desirably made of non-corrosive alloy steel, having the upwardly extended integral hozel or neck portion 3 provided with a longitudinal, cylindrical bore to receive the shaft end. As here shown, there is interposed between the wall of the head or hozel bore and the shaft, a rubber sleeve 5 which is desirably compressed in assembling of the parts and vulcanized in position to secure the parts while allowing a slight and desirable resilient, torsional displacement under impact.

As will be readily appreciated, it is further desirable to provide a positive looking or securing engagement between the shaft and head portions both as a safety factor to insure against separation of the parts and to reduce any tendency of the parts working loose under the influence of the torsional movement between the head and the tapered shaft end portion. In accordance with the present improvements, I have provided for such securing engagement without supplemental parts by forming the end of the shaft with integral expansible portions and reaming out of the bore of the head to provide an inwardly or downwardly directed shoulder to be engaged by said expansible shaft portions.

As shown in Fig. 1, the head bore at its extreme inner end portion is enlarged at 6 by means of a reamer to provide the annular, inwardly directed shoulder '7. The tubular shaft, adjacent to and slightly removed from its lower end,'is formed by longitudinal parallel cuts and cross severance of the metal at the upper ends of the cuts, to provide the prongs 8. These prongs 8 are formed in the steel shaft before hardening and are outwardly flared as shown to provide steps or shoulder end portions positioned to engage the head shoulder 7 to resist outward movement or separation of the head and shaft. Upon hardening of the shaft, the prongs become resilient and their flared form, as shown, permits of their compression inwardly as they pass through the bore in assembling of the parts and when fully assembled the prongs resiliently expand into the interlocking position as shown.

In Fig. 2, I have shown a structure of the wood head type with my improved features incorporated therein, wherein the bore is extended downwardly through the head with a lower enlargement of the bore at 10 to provide the downwardly directed shoulder '7. In this instance, for the purpose of preventing abrasion and chipping of the wood shoulder, there is provided a metal ferrule or sleeve member 12 having an annular flange 13 interposed as a washer between the prongs 8 of the shaft and the shoulder 7 thereby giving a desirable metal to metal engagement. The bottom of the bore is closed by a suitable plug 14 in the usual manner. As will be readily understood, this ferrule may be omitted if desired.

In Fig. 3 there is shown a desirable modified construction wherein the expansible portions of the shaft are formed by slitting of the shaft and bending outwardly and rearwardly of the end portions thereof. As shown, the shaft end is slit inwardly and longitudinally at 15 with slits of tapered form to allow of compression. The prongs or tines, so formed, have their end portions 16 turned outwardly and rearwardly to form shoulders upwardly directed to oppose the co-acting shoulder of the head member formed in the manner of Fig. 2. This embodiment is shown in the wood head type of club having the shoulder 7 formed by enlargement of the lower end of the bore with the interposed washer or ferrule member 12 corresponding to the arrangement of Fig. 2. In accordance with a further improvement a plug 17 is provided to close the lower end of the head bore and which is formed at its innermost porton of tapered or conical form as shown at 18 and of a size to fit Within the shaft end to engage the prongs from their inner sides to force them outwardly upon driving inwardly of the plug and to thereby retain the prongs in expanded and locking position.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modified structure, adapting the arrangement of Fig. 3 to iron club construction and wherein the lower end of the bore is enlarged as shown to provide the shoulder T and has positioned therein a tapered plug or expanding element 20 adapted to be received within the end of the shaft, as shown in dotted lines, for expanding the prongs and retaining them in expanded position. In this structure, when assembling, the shaft is forced inwardly to engage the cone element 20 and to be frictionally expanded thereon and is then pulled back to engaging position carrying the cone element with it.

In Fig. 5, a modified construction is shown wherein the shoulders 16' on the prongs are formed by welding a ring on the end of the shaft prior to slitting and the shaft is then slitted at 15 with the tapered slits to form the corn-- pressible prongs with the shoulders 16' thereon.

While I have shown and described an approved embodiment of the features of my invention designed to effect the locking of the head and shaft in an effective and inexpensive manner, it will be readly understood that varied modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It is therefore intended that all matter herein shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A golf club comprising a shaft and a head member mounted thereon, said head member being formed with a connecting portion having a bore to receive the shaft end, a rubber sleeve interposed between the wall of the bore and the shaft, said bore being formed with an enlargement to provide a downwardly directed shoulder, said shaft being of tubular metal having integrally formed prongs adjacent its end portion formed by slitting of the metal and bending to flared or outwardly inclined position prior to hardening thereof.

2. A golf club comprising a shaft and a head member mounted thereon, said head member being formed with a connecting portion having a bore to receive the shaft end, said bore being formed with an enlargement to provide a downwardly directed shoulder, said shaft being of tubular metal having integrally formed prongs provided by slitting of the metal longitudinally from its end portion and bending outwardly and rearwardly the ends of the prongs so formed and a plug member fitting within the bore from below and formed with a conical end portion adapted to be received within the shaft end for expanding the prongs into engagement with the shoulder.

3. A golf club comprising a shaft and a head member mounted thereon, said head member being formed with a connecting portion having a bore to receive the shaft end, said bore being provided with a shoulder therein, said shaft being of tubular metal having integrally formed prongs provided by slitting of the metal longitudinally from its end portion and bending outwardly and rearwardly the ends of the prongs so formed and an expanding member positioned within the bore beneath the shaft and formed with a tapered portion adapted for expanding the prongs into position opposed to said shoulder.

4. A golf club comprising a shaft and a head member mounted thereon, said head member be- 3.3-

ing formed with a connecting portion having a bore to receive the shaft end, said bore being provided with a shoulder therein, said shaft being of tubular metal having integrally formed prongs provided by slitting of the metal longitudinally and inwardly of the end portion and bending outwardly the ends of the prongs into position projecting from the outer surface of the shaft prior to hardening thereof.

PAUL E. HELLER. 

